I have a story in this anthology with Anvil Press, a piece of creative non-fiction titled "When Something Awful Happened," about my interaction with death and how my accident changed my views.
This was a labor of love for Elee Kraljii Gardiner ad everyone involved could feel her dedication to creating a special collection that our world needed. Several of the other contributors died before publication. This anthology is amazing and has a lot to say that our culture doesn't talk about. This collection has a lot to teach us.
"Literary Nonfiction. Poetry. Essays. AGAINST DEATH is an anthology of creative non-fiction exploring the psychological shifts that occur when we prematurely or unexpectedly confront death. AGAINST DEATH is a natural outgrowth of the editor's experience of surviving a vertebral artery dissection and stroke and the subsequent writing of a long poem memoir about the event. To be "against" something can mean two different things at the same time. "Against" can mean pressed up close to something, yet it can also signify refusal. These texts deal with the affects of this proximity, taking into account any meaning of the word. Rather than showcase only extreme survival stories or difficult biological situations, the pieces in AGAINST DEATH consider the ways we make sense of death on a personal level and how we integrate that thinking as we continue forward. AGAINST DEATH articulates the personal experiences of each author's "near-deathness," utilizing fresh and inventive language to represent what "magical thinking" proposes. These pieces are incisive and articulate, avoiding the usual platitudes, feel-good bromides, and pep talks associated with near-death encounters. The writing moves past the sob story and confronts the tough circumstance of facing death with truth and compassion, no matter how ugly or (in)convenient."
Buy it from Anvil Press (Canada).
Buy it on Amazon.
Buy it at Barnes and Noble.
